Is This Goodbye?
by XionTheBlackRose
Summary: I walk into the throne room and the King of the monsters stands there, waiting for me. He smiles softly, sadness sparkling in his eyes, "Hello. I very much wish I could offer you a cup of tea. But, I am afraid this is where we must say goodbye. Come forth when you are ready." He turns and walks into the back room. I look down at the flowers at my feet as I pull my knife.


**Hello, everyone! This is my interpretation of the Neutral ending to Undertale. Enjoy.**

* * *

I walk into the throne room and the King of the monsters stands there, waiting for me. He smiles softly, sadness sparkling in his eyes, "Hello. I very much wish I could offer you a cup of tea. But, I am afraid this is where we must say goodbye. Come forth when you are ready."

He turns and walks into the back room. I look down at the flowers at my feet as I pull the knife from my pocket. Staring at it, I see my reflection; A filthy child with with sad eyes. I know what has to happen now, Alphys warned me of this. To get home, I need to pass through the barrier, and to do that, I need to take Asgore's soul. I look up at the door he left through and my grip on the knife tightens. I heavy a heavy sigh, "So much for my pacifism.."

I wipe the tears from my eyes at the thought of what I'm about to do and I cross the throne room and enter the back room. I find it's just a hallway and Asgore's waiting for me at the end, where another door is. I walk up to him and he smiles softly at me, "Are you sure this is what you want?"

 _Is it?_ I've spent several weeks down here, a little over a month and what kept me going the entire time? The promise of getting back home. Falling into the mountain was an accident, but I'm a good kid. Despite Toriel's warnings, and the many monsters that stood in my way, I passed by them with kind words and gestures. I never once raised my hand against a single one of them, even when they desperately wanted to capture me for the good of their people.

And now here I am, facing their king, whom I've heard many different things about. Toriel told me he was a horrible person that just wants to murder the entire human race, Undyne told me he was a peaceful man with anguish in his heart. That he only did what he had to because of all the pain the humans inflicted upon him. Papyrus told me he was a happy, peaceful man who would let me go if I just asked. I was told by many monsters that Asgore was softhearted, a gentle soul.

The monster standing before me is none of those things. The King of the monsters I'm about to face is a broken man, a man so driven by pain, he's been swallowed in it. I don't want to fight him. Every part of me wants to hug him and tell him everything will be okay, that there doesn't need to be any more wars. I want to tell him how sorry I am for the loss of his children and wife, and that we can find a way to break the barrier without anyone else having to die. That together we can set everyone free and make the humans understand we can have peace again.

No one else has to die. I don't want to do this, I want to go home, but not like this. Never like this. I can feel the tears building in my eyes again and I stare up at Asgore. I whimper, "I just want to go home.."

His smile falters and he turns away, "To do that, you must get past me. I will wait for you at the barrier."

He passes into the next room and I sit on the floor, staring at the knife in my hand. _Is this really worth it? Is going home really so important?_ Everyone I've met.. Toriel, Sans, Papyrus, Undyne, Alphys, Mettatton, everyone.. Do I really want to leave them? _Is going home really worth taking his life?_ Flowey told me there are monsters that will stop at nothing to kill me, I thought he meant Undyne, but.. Maybe it was Asgore he meant all along. Alphys told me Asgore won't stop until he has my soul, that I will have to kill him if I want to go home. I wipe the tears from my eyes, _Is it worth it?_

I stand on shaky legs and clutch the locket I took from a bedroom in the castle. I close my eyes, trying to calm myself down, "Stay determined, stay determined, stay determined, stay determined.."

I take in a deep breath and move into the next room. I'm suddenly blinded by a bright light and then I see Asgore standing a few feet from me, his back to me. The place around us is almost indescribably. Just a pulsing white light all around us. I walk up to Asgore and he turns around.

"This," he says, "Is the barrier. This keeps us and the Surface separated from the Underground. With seven human souls, it can be destroyed and the monsters can go free."

Six clear jars appear from the floor between us and in each one is a different colored heart-shaped human soul. I look back at Asgore and he closes his eyes, I see him shiver as he continues, "As of now, we only have six. You surely must understand how important capturing your soul is to us. With your soul, we can go free."

He looks back at me and a tear soaks into his fur, "Your life must end for the benefit of my people. I hope you can forgive me in the afterlife. Now, are you ready to face me, human? If there is anything you must do first, please do so now."

I look down and my knife almost falls out of my hand. I close my eyes, _I really don't want to do this. I don't want to hurt him._ I have made it here by befriending all the monsters I came across, I don't believe in violence, that's no way to fix any problem. _But I don't have a choice here. If I don't fight, Asgore will kill me, I know that._ I open my eyes and look back at him as he moves his cape aside, pulling a large red trident seemingly out of nowhere. I don't fight the tears this time. _Mercy isn't an option here._

I grip the knife tighter, "L-Let's get on with this.."

"I know of the kindness you have shown my people during your stay down here, and I would like to thank you." Asgore looks down, "Though, I'm afraid I cannot accept your mercy, human. This is the end."

He swipes his large trident at me, a magical orange glow surrounding it. I run from the attack and the trident seems to phase through me. I gasp and take a few steps back, gripping the knife tighter. _I have to do this, there's no other way this time._ I run at him and he shoots fire at me. I dodge most of it, his attacks aren't that different from Toriel's. I get to him and slice my knife across him. My eyes widen as a bit of dust sprays on me from the attack. I stare, horrified at what I did. I quickly back away, dropping my knife. I shiver, fighting the tears in my eyes.

Monsters don't seem to bleed, but somehow the sight of the dust they leave behind is so much worse than bleeding. Fire rains down and I dodge it, I know I have to get my knife back, I have to finish what I started. I continue to dodge the fire, Toriel's attempt to show me monsters are dangerous flashing through my mind with every fireball that flies past me, until I make it back to where I dropped my knife. I swipe it off the floor and go for Asgore again.

More dust litters the floor as I carry out my attack. Tears fall from my eyes and my hands shake, "I-I don't want to fight!"

The look of emotional pain on Asgore's face is almost enough to just let him have my soul. Still, he attacks. His trident comes at me again, glowing in that orange light again. I turn and run into it, and as before, it phases through me. He swings again, and the trident glows blue now. I stand still, closing my eyes tight, _Blue stop signs, blue stop signs, blue stop signs, blue-_ I feel it phase through me again and I open my eyes, running in for my next attack as tears run down my face and my body trembles. He swings his trident at me again and I keep running towards him since the aura around the weapon is orange.

The weapon phases through me and I stab my blade into Asgore's chest. The howl of pain he releases stalls me and I freeze up for a moment. That moment is enough for him to attack. Fire hits me head on and I scream as the momentum throws me across the room. I fly right out of the room and crash into the wall of the hallway outside the barrier's room. I slump to the ground and everything hurts. My head is swimming, and my clothes are singed. I can feel the hot pain of the burns on my body.

My vision is blurry, and for a moment, I swear I can see someone in a green shirt reach out to me. I blink and my vision clears, and the only person I see is Asgore. Even from this distance I can see the dust falling from the wounds I inflicted upon him. He's watching me, patiently waiting for me to come continue the fight. I sit up, wincing, _He doesn't deserve to die._ I grab my knife off the floor and slowly push myself to my feet. I look back at the wall I crashed into and it's cracked. I swallow and turn back to the room Asgore stands in. _Is going home really worth it?_ I start crying again and I can't stop, "I don't want to kill you, Asgore! But I don't have a choice! It's the only way I can get home!"

I drop back to the floor, sobbing, gripping the knife that's covered in his dust tightly in my hands, closing my eyes. _I don't have a choice, I don't have a choice, I don't have a choice, I don't have a choice. This is the only way, mercy won't work here, this is the only way I can go home. I have to go home, falling down here was an accident, going home to my loving family is the goal, it's the thing I'm fighting for. Stay determined, stay determined, stay determined, stay determined, stay determined. Get back up and end this. Go home and be happy._

 _Happy_ , I gasp, opening my eyes wide, _The monsters just want to be happy. They just want to be free, just like me. Stay strong, don't give up._ _I can do this, I'll pass the barrier then find a way to break it from the outside. Then everyone can be happy._ I walk back into the room, my body continues trembling and tears running down my face again, but I hold the knife tight. _Maybe freeing them will be atonement for the man I'm about to kill._ My heart hurts, my body is numb to the pain I've endured, but I can't quit. I have to do this. _It's the only choice, isn't it? It's the only way to go home, but am I worth it? Why should I get to live and be free? What gives me the right to take his life?_

The Monster King regards me with pain-filled eyes, "Are you ready to continue, human?"

I sniffle, wiping my eyes, "I-I won't forget you, or any of the others. I want to free them just as badly as you do."

He smiles, then closes his eyes as the smile falls. He thrusts the trident at me and I'm barely able to dodge it. I dodge my way through his attacks so I can attack him again. Again, and again, we do this dance of death until Asgore falls to one knee. He drops his trident, an arm across his torso, where I inflicted most of my attacks. I stand before him, red faced with swollen eyes as tears continue to fall down my face. I drop to my knees before him, screaming as I throw the knife away from me, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

He smiles at me, dust rolling off him, "Do not cry, child. This is what needed to happen. I wanted you to stop me, to free me from the burden I put upon myself, and my people.. Those human children I murdered.. At first I didn't feel bad about what I had done.. I was blinded by anger then.. By the fourth child's death, I knew what I was doing was wrong, but I knew I couldn't stop. I had done too much, went too far. So, thank you, human. I am finally going to see my son again."

" _NO!_ " I sob, "It's not fair! This isn't right! I never wanted to hurt you!"

He reaches out to me, tears falling from his eyes, but he still smiles, "I know, child. I am sorry for everything that my people and I have done to you up until this moment. I hope that you can forgive us.."

My eyes widen as little white balls of energy appear of out nowhere and surround him. They surround him so fast, before I can try to warn him, the attack shatters him into dust. His dust covers me and I stare where he had been in horror as his soul appears there. More little white energy balls appear around it and they quickly close in, shattering the Monster King's soul. A familiar flower monster appears almost out of nowhere then and Flowey smiles at me, "You idiot. You haven't learned a thing have you?"

The six human souls fly over my head and I gasp as they twirl around Flowey, who's smile turns to a sick grin, "In this world.."

His face melts and distorts, creating a face made of nightmares, "It's kill of be killed!"

He then laughs as he absorbs the human souls. I yell and cover my eyes with my arm as a bright light envelops us. The light fades almost instantly and when I drop my arm there's nothing but darkness. There's no room, no floor, just darkness. I'm suspended in this realm of darkness all alone. I shiver, something doesn't feel right. I walk through the darkness, though I'm not sure how since there doesn't seem to be any floor to walk on. In the distance, I see a light. I run up to it and it's a small twinkling light. I've seen this "star" before, but only in my dreams. I touch it and a voice whispers, " _This is the end. Do you want to save where you've been?_ "

"Y-" I gasp when the shatters in front of me. Flowey's face appears from the darkness, and it's so huge, way bigger than my entire body. I stare at him in horror and he just smiles. He suddenly starts glitching and his voice is distorted, like he's speaking through static, "Howdy! It's me, Flowey."

He winks, "Flowey the flower! I owe you a _huge_ thanks."

He grins, "You really did a number on that old you, I never could have gotten past him."

His face distorts and I want to cry when it's Asgore's face I see on the flower. He continues, "But now, with your help.."

His face distorts further and Asgore's face melts and I sob as he keeps talking, "He's _dead_."

His regular face returns, but it's twisted, he's grinning, "And I've got the human souls!"

His face glitches and he disappears. His wicked laugh rings out all around me and I cover my ears, but I can still hear it. His face appears again, his regular face and he still has more to say, "Boy! I've been empty for _so_ long, it feels great to have a soul inside me again."

He winks, sticking his tongue out at me, "Mmmm, I can feel them _wriggling_.. Aww, you're feeling left out, aren't you? Well, that's just perfect. After all, I only have six souls. I still need _one more_."

His face distorts again, jagged teeth and large black eyes with red pupils, "Before I become _god_. And then, with my newfound powers.."

His face keeps changing, this time an innocent looking face, "Monsters."

He mimics my face, "Humans."

His face twists and contorts, switching between faces continuously, " _Everyone!_ "

His face changes yet again, now a deranged smiling face, "I'll show them all the _real_ meaning of this world."

He glitches again, his jagged face back, "Oh, and forget about escaping to a better time, it's all gone forever. But don't worry, your old friend Flowey has worked out a replacement for you."

His face changes to the creepiest yet; big hollow eyes, a wide, gaping mouth, with disgusting teeth, his tongue sticking out over the side of his mouth, "I'll save over your own death. So you can watch me tear you to bloody pieces over, and over, and over, and o-"

I take a few steps towards him, cutting him off, "I'll stop you!"

"What?" he chuckles, "You really think you can stop me?"

His face glitches and he's back to his regular face, still chuckling, "You really _are_ an idiot."

He disappears and I look around, something is very wrong here. I gasp as the human souls suddenly appear, one by one. I reach out to them, "Don't let him use you! Come to me, I can save you!"

The souls disappear and a red light flashes continuously and I can see something moving in the darkness, something big. The flashing stops and I'm left in the darkness again. Flowey's face appears and he grins, his jaw drops into a hideous smile, almost unhinged. His eyes are just evil. He laughs and then I can see the creature that approached me in the darkness. I'm scared to death by what I see, and I can't even adequately describe it. This amalgamate abomination should never see the light of day. If this horrible monster is what a small flower creature became with the devouring of the six human souls, what could Asgore have become if he truly had wanted to defeat me?

He laughs and I have to move. He suddenly shoots these shuriken-like things at me from seemingly out of nowhere. I run around, trying to dodge them. I'm hit multiple times, I'm bleeding, but I can't stop running. I keep running and the shuriken things disappear and then his "friendliness" pellets surround me and I dodge those as well, to the best of my ability. I run around, stopping and ducking, dropping and rolling. Anything to get out of the ring of pellets that are trying to kill me. All I can do is keep moving. _Just keep moving._ If I stop, I'm dead.

After a moment of running around, I realize I still have the knife I used to fight Asgore. I pull the knife out of my pocket. I'm not sure how it got back there, but I'm not going to question it. Just like with Asgore, no, more than with Asgore, pacifism won't work here. _I have to kill Flowey._ If I don't, he'll destroy everything. I run up to where Flowey's face is and I jump up, slashing my knife across his face. Almost instantly after, fire shoots out at me. I dodge the fire blasts for a few minutes and then they stop. I stand there, breathing heavily. I'm bleeding in multiple places, and I think my left arm is burned from the fire. I'm still burned from Asgore's fire, too, so I'm not doing too well. He barely gives me a moment to catch my breath before the shuriken things are flying at me again.

I dodge them again and they move faster, in a closer proximity. I run through them, holding my arms over my face. The weapons cut me, but I keep going. They disappear and then these large spiked vines come from somewhere within him, hundreds of them and they attack me. They wrap around me, cutting into me. He laughs as I cry out in pain. _I still have the knife in my hand._ The vines cut up my arm as I move it up with the knife in hand. I cut the vines off me with the knife and Flowey yowls as I'm dropped. I shudder as I land and I groan, throwing myself down as more vines shoot at me.

I dodge and cut at the vines as they attack and then the screen that holds Flowey's face changes and a pale blue heart-shaped soul appears there and the screen glows. Flowey's attacks have ceased, I just stand there and watch the screen. Flowey's new body disappears and I'm left alone with the soul. It continues to glow ahead of me and then a bunch of knives appear around me, everywhere. I run towards the soul, dodging the knives that are moving around me. I call out to her, "I need your help!"

I continue running through the knives until I get to the soul and I wrap my arms around her. Her soft blue glow covers me and I gasp as my wounds start to heal. I step back and a figure appears around the blue soul. A child much smaller than me. She smiles up at me, glowing in that soft blue light. There's a ribbon in her hair and a toy knife in her hand. She reaches up and touches my chest, where my heart is, " _Have patience, Frisk. You can win this._ "

She disappears and Flowey's body reappears. I gasp and brace myself for his next attack. These vine-worm-like monsters comes from him with large, nasty snapping mouths. They move erratically at me, bouncing around, trying to eat me. I dodge and slash at them, feeling stronger than ever thanks to the soft blue Soul. The vine-worm monsters continue to bounce around, snapping at me as Flowey shoots more of the spiked vines at me. I manage to dodge the worm monsters, but some of the spiked vines cut my arms and legs. Flowey laughs with every whimper and cry I make.

His attacks disappear and the split moment between nothing and more vines he shoots at me, I run up and stab his face. He shouts at me, "Keep running, I'm still going to kill you!"

I dodge more of the vines as they come at me, cutting some of them again. He yowls and growls as I cut them, so I know I'm doing at least some kind of damage to him. The vines disappear and then this large Venus flower trap appears on Flowey's left arm. It opens its mouth and a bug rush of air is suddenly trying to suck me into the flower trap. I run away from it, I'm just running in place and then giant flies come out of nowhere, being sucked into the trap as well. I'm hit with them as they go past me and I'm knocked off my feet, flying towards the trap.

" _No!_ " I scream, flipping myself over and stabbing my knife into the almost nonexistent floor. My plan works and the knife gets stuck. I cling to it with both hands as my body is still being sucked back towards the trap. I'm suddenly dropped to the floor as the trap disappears. I breathe out in relief, and then torpedoes drop. I roll around the floor, avoiding them. The blasts they give off as they hit the ground singes my clothes and my hair, but I keep rolling. I don't have time to get up.

Once the torpedoes stop, I finally push myself to my feet. The vine-worms come back and I run from them, running around them. I cut at them as they get too close to me. Stay determined, be patient. I can win this, I will win this! The creatures disappear and I gasp, a smile coming to my lips as I see an orange heart-shaped soul appear on Flowey's screen. I watch as, once again, Flowey's body disappears and I'm left in the darkness with the orange glowing Soul.

Large hands appear around me, spinning in circles. I run towards the soul as I had the first, dodging the Soul's defenses. I call out for his help, I can't defeat Flowey alone. I embrace him as his orange glow envelops me. Like the pale blue Soul before him, this Soul is healing me, too. I step away as a boy maybe my age forms around the orange Soul. He wears gloves and a bandanna. He smiles at me, " _Stay brave, Frisk. We're on your side._ "

He disappears and Flowey reappears again. I nod, glaring at Flowey, "I will defeat you! I am patient, brave, and determined!"

Flowey cackles, shooting more spiked vines at me than he has before, "Oh, is that what you think? You can be as patient as you want, I'll just keep tearing you to pieces! Your bravery is nothing, you're just a scared little kid! Admit it! As for your determination, that'll run out eventually, and I'll still be here! I'll be here to rip you apart over and over and then your soul will finally be mine!"

I cut the vines as the come at me, breathing heavily. I take off running as he goes back to shooting the shurikens at me. I run and use my knife to block some of them as I run towards him. I cut him and then go back to running as he goes between shooting the shurikens at me, and the spiked vines. I dodge and cut them until a dark blue Soul appears on his screen. I laugh, tears running down my face, burning the cuts there, "Yes! Yes, I need your help! Help me!"

The dark blue Soul glows in the distance and stars appear everywhere. I start to run around them and then giant ballet shoes rain down. I focus on the Soul and dance around her defenses. I finally get to her and I cup my hands around her. I smile at her and then embrace her, "Thank you for coming to my aid."

The dark blue aura surrounds me and, for the third time, my wounds are healed. I move back and a girl, a little older than the light blue Soul appears, glowing in the dark blue aura. She smiles at me, bouncing lightly in her ballet shoes. She's completely dressed like a ballerina. I smile back at her and then she places both her hands on my chest by my heart, " _Don't lose your integrity, Frisk. We're depending on you._ "

She disappears and I revel in the gentle darkness for a moment before Flowey is back again. I wonder if he even knows what's happening. Does he know the Souls are responding to me? If he does, why isn't he trying to stop them? Maybe he can't, maybe he just doesn't know. The vine-worms are back and I dodge them easier this time, they all move in some sort of pattern. It's easier to follow it when I pay attention. It also helps that these things always follow the same pattern.

The worm creatures disappear and Flowey drops torpedoes again. I try to run through them and a few of them hit me at once. The explosion sends metal shards through me all over my body all at once. _I'm dead._ _That's it._ He killed me and now he'll take my soul. He'll take my soul and everything will end. _I couldn't do it, I wasn't strong enough._

" _Is that how you really feel?_ "

Suspended in this new darkness, as I slip away, I hear a voice. It sounds familiar, but I can't tell from where.

" _Do you really want to give up? After everything you've gone through to get this far?_ "

"I thought you had more determination than this. What a waste."

"What..?" I look around, but I can't see anything, "Who are you?"

" _You don't remember? We met once, don't tell me you've already forgotten._ "

In the far distance, I can see a figure flowing in a pale white glow. Too far away to really make out any real details. All I can see is this person has hair in a similar style to mine, and they wear a green sweater with a single yellow stripe. I run towards them, but I don't seem to get any closer.

" _Stop._ "

I stop.

" _Coming to me means giving up. It means accepting death. Is that really what you want? If it is, I won't stop you any longer._ "

They hold a hand out towards me. I stare at them, then look down at my own hands, _Is this really what I want? Do I really want to give up after getting so far?_ I could have died fighting Asgore, I almost did, but I held on. _So I should hold now, right?_ I look back at the person standing still so far away. _Can I let myself die, knowing what Flowey will do when he gets my soul?_ And the six Souls he's holding hostage. They deserve to be free, they're waiting on me to save them. Two of them have helped keep me going against Flowey, I'm sure the other four will as well.

So can I be content giving up here? _No, no I can't._ I won't just give up, I have to stop Flowey, free the human Souls, then find a way to destroy the barrier. I made a promise to Asgore, that I will set them free, and I intend to keep it. The figure glowing in soft white continues to watch me, holding a hand out to me. I bite my bottom lip and close my eyes.

I shake my head, "No. No, I'm not ready to give up. I'm not ready to let myself die."

" _Stay determined, Frisk. Everyone is depending on you._ "

I open my eyes and I'm staring the abomination Flowey has become in the face again. He sneers, "Don't worry, I'll kill you again!"

He shoots the vine-worms towards me and I dodge them again, I know their pattern now. The worms disappear and then he drops torpedoes again. I drop to the floor and roll around, like I did before. It seems doing this is easier than trying to run around them. So I continue to roll constant as the torpedoes are dropped. Once the torpedoes stop, the shurikens are back. His attacks are always the same, but there's no pattern to them. I dodge his attacks then run up and stab him again. The Venus fly trap is back and I'm getting sucked in again. Like before, I stab my knife into the ground to keep myself out of the trap. The flies are back as well, getting sucked in, too.

They still hit me, but I keep a tight hold on the knife's hilt. The trap disappears and the vine-worms are back. As I dodge them, Flowey shoots fire at me, too. He laughs, "You're good at dodging, kid! Now dodge all of this!"

More fire shoots at me as I try to dodge the vine-worms. As I'm doing this, he uses the "friendliness" pellets again, too. I run from the vine-worms, dive between the fire blasts, trying to deflects the pellets with my knife. The fire burns me, the pellets pierce my body, and I find myself back in the familiar darkness. "I groan, I can't do this, it's too hard."

" _Then give up and accept your death._ " that familiar voice speaks to me again. I look around and I see the figure, but they're closer this time. I can see some more details, their hair is a lighter shade than mine, they have pale skin and some kind of necklace on. I still can't tell if they are a boy or a girl, though. I shiver as they hold a hand out for me again, " _Are you finally out of determination?_ "

I shake my head, "Send me back. I can't give up yet. I made a promise to King Asgore."

They drop their hand and they disappear. I turn around and Flowey is there again. He's just smiling smugly at me, "Came back again, did ya? You sick child. You just like letting me kill you, don't you?"

I frown, pulling my knife from my pocket and I run up and stab him. He roars and the vine-worms attack. I dodge them and as before, he drops torpedoes. I drop to the floor again and roll around as they drop around me. I stand as the shurikens are thrown at me again. I dodge them better than last time. I stab him again and then the fly trap appears. As it appears, I stab my knife into the ground and hold on. A moment later, my body is lifted into the air, but I hold fast to the knife's hilt. The flies appear and zoom past me as they're sucked into the trap, but I don't let go.

When that attack stops, the vine-worms attack. I dodge them no problem, muscle memory kicking in now that I've seen these attacks multiple times. Fire shoots at me then and I get through them with little damage. I'm breathing heavily, my body aches, but I can't let myself give up. I can't let him kill me again. Like last time, the vine-worms come again, partnered again with the fire, and then the "friendliness" pellets all at once.

Flowey chuckles, "Dance, puppet, dance!"

He laughs as I run around like a chicken with its head cut off. I manage to make it past that wave of attacks, but I'm so tired, everything hurts and I find it hard to raise my knife now.

I'm filled with relief as a purple Soul appears on Flowey's screen. Finally, I'm going to get more help. I'm alone in the darkness with the purple Soul and then a bunch of words float around. I run through them, the words around me scream into my head. _Sadness. Destroy. Destruction. Disease. Broken. Dead. Tired. Ruined. Gone. Pain. Failure_. _Slaughter. Corrupt_.

I stumble to a stop as I hug the purple Soul, tears falling down my face again, "Please, help me! I'm getting so tired.."

Her purple glow covers me and I can feel my wounds healing, my strength returning. I release her as her figure appears. A girl my age, her chubby face half covered by large foggy glasses, and a torn notebook in her hands, held to her chest. She smiles at me, taking my hand, " _Determination and perseverance goes hand in hand, Frisk. You must stay determined, don't let him drown out your perseverance. You will defeat him, you just have to believe you can._ "

She disappears and Flowey takes her place. The spiked vines are his next weapon of choice. I stand still and cut through them this time, and with each cut he grunts and growls. I cut the vines for several minutes then he throws the shurikens. He alternates between these two for awhile and I dodge and cut through them almost with ease. I'm finally getting the hang on this. Getting the hang of attacking. A green Soul appears on his screen and I breathe out in relief, watching as Flowey fades away. _This would be the fifth Soul. What will happen once all six have healed me?_

The Soul glows with a soft green aura and frying pans appear above me, leading to where the Soul waits for me. The pans bob up and down, throwing fire balls around as they do. I run through the fire, dodging around them as I call out for help. I get to the Soul I hug him as I did the others. It seems the most natural approach. As Undyne said, I like to hug strangers. I move back as his green aura heals me.

His figure appears, slightly younger than me, wearing a dirty apron and holding a frying pan. All the human things I've picked up along my journey, the ballet shoes in Waterfall, the ribbon and toy knife in the Ruins, everything are the things these poor humans had dropped when they were killed and their souls were captured.

He smiles, " _It's very kind of you to feel pity for us, Frisk. We don't need it, though. We all got what we deserved. We all attacked the monsters at one time, even I did, though I hated hurting him._ "

" _Maybe I should have just went along with his stupid show_ ," he muses.

He shakes his head and looks back at me, still smiling, " _You're the one who deserves our pity. You were hurt countless times, but still you wouldn't raise a hand to the monsters. We should have been as kind as you. Self defense isn't the only thing that can be done during a fight._ "

I nod, smiling and he puts a hand to my chest, " _Don't lose that special kindness. Even the worst of monsters deserve kindness, don't you think?_ "

"I do." I reply.

He continues to smile as he disappears. I face Flowey, faith in myself restored and he smiles, "Golly, you sure do look determined. I'll take care of that real quick!"

The shurikens come at me from all different angles, at different speeds. I dodge and deflect them as I run around. There must be a pattern to this, I can do this, I can win, I just have to be patient and pay attention. The shurikens stop and then fire is thrown at me. I dodge the fire, too, I'm getting pretty good at dodging his attacks now. Maybe I'm just paying more attention, maybe the fear I've been feeling has lessened, or maybe the Souls I've met so far are somehow making his attacks less intense. Whatever the reason, I'm thankful for it.

I attack him again then he shoots a blast of light from the large mouth under the screen. I just barely get out of the way. I quickly get up as the shurikens attack. While I dodge those, the vine-worms are bouncing around after me again. He's paired those attacks together before, I can do this. I can do this, I won't die this time! His screen flashes and a yellow Soul shines then. _I can't lose this fight, I need all of you to help me win._

The Souls' darkness is back and a large gun appears above me. I run towards the Soul as the gun shoots at me. I get to her and I cup her soul in my hands. Her yellow glow surrounds me and heals me. I feel even better than before, so much stronger. I release her and step back as her form appears. A tall girl, slightly taller than me, wearing a cowboy hat with a gun holster at her waist. She's dressed like a cowgirl. She smiles and I smile back, "Thank you."

" _No, thank you, Frisk. You may be full of determination, but you're full of justice, too._ " she touches my chest, " _We believe in you. You have what it takes to save us, and when the time comes, we know you'll make the right choice again. It's up to you to decide what form of justice he deserves_."

I gasp as she steps back and all six human Souls appear, standing around me, all showing their forms like before. I look around at all of them and they all hold their hands out to me, their auras all surrounding me. They're filling me with life and strength, and each of their attributes. They all smile at me and they speak in unison, " _You can do this, Frisk. We believe in you. We'll help you, but all we can do is take away his defenses_."

I nod, "Do what you can. I appreciate what you've done for me already."

They nod and one by one, they all disappear, each with a smile on their face. I'm returned to my fight with Flowey. He shoots the shurikens at me and I run through them, dodging as I go until I get up to him. I stab him then go back to dodging the shurikens. I dodge then stab him continuously, the shurikens are all he's using right now to fight me. I continue attacking him until he starts dropping torpedoes again. I drop to the ground and roll away from them until he stops dropping them.

I get up and dive through a ring of "friendliness" pellets. I run back towards him, deflecting his pellets until I get close enough to stab him yet again. I'm able to stab him twice before he goes back to using the shurikens. I dodge them, but every time I get hit, my injuries heal. I silently send out a "thank you" to the Souls doing their best to help me. I attack a few times and then the "friendliness" pellets return. I dodge those, too, and the Souls continue healing my injuries as I gain them.

His pellets disappear and then thousands upon thousands of little Floweys cover the ground. They shoot pellets at me, their vines rise and attack, tripping me, or trying to tie me up. I run through them, focusing on cutting their vines that try to wrap around me as I make my way back to the abomination Flowey that's laughing at me even though I'm winning. I stab him a few times then he drops torpedoes.

I drop to the ground and try to roll away as I have every time since he last killed me, but the little Flowey's wrap their vines around me, trapping me. I struggle, trying to cut the vines off me as the torpedoes explode around me. The blasts hit me, I'm barely left alive when the torpedoes stop, thanks to the Souls. I'm finally able to cut myself free and I get up quickly, breathing heavily. I'm still healing as I run towards my target again.

He's shooting shurikens and I dodge those easily. I hit him then get back as he shoots fire. I run right through the fire, ever thankful for the Souls as I attack him again. I can't stop, I have to be as relentless as he is if I want to win. The little Floweys try to wrap me up again and I cut through their vines quickly, going back for the real Flowey. He tries his pellets again and I let them hit me as I keep hacking away at him. I keep hacking at him as he throws the shurikens at me, and then the fly trap is back. I stab my knife into the ground and wait until his next attack.

He goes back to using the shurikens and I keep attacking him. His "friendliness" pellets all hit me again but I don't stop despite the pain I'm feeling. The Souls keep healing me and I keep hacking away at him, no longer paying attention to what attacks he's using. The he suddenly stops attacking and I back away, breathing heavily.

He shrieks, "No! No! This can't be happening!"

"You..!" his body starts melting, "You..!"

And then just as suddenly, he's good as new and smirking at me, "You didn't think it would be that easy, did you? You idiot."

He laughs and shoots me with a beam of energy. In an instant, I feel my entire body disintegrate, and then I'm right back in front of him. And he does it again, and again. He kills me over and over, and I can't make myself move, I don't get an option to just quit. I won't quit. I've come too far to let him win now! He continues to kill me over and over and over and then he stops. I'm left barely alive with his "friendliness" pellets surrounding me. He chuckles, "Did you really think I'd ever let you win? I am the _god_ of this world! And _you?_ You're _nothing_. You're hopeless and alone."

"Golly, that's right! I know about you and the Souls," he says, "They can't help you now. You're so pathetic. Go ahead, Frisk. Call for help, I dare you. Cry into the darkness! 'Mommy! Daddy! Somebody help!' See what good it does you."

I frown then call out, "Anyone, please! I need help!"

We wait in this darkness for a few minutes and Flowey smiles, "Nobody came, did they? Boy, what a shame! Nobody else is going to get to see you _die!_ "

Suddenly, all my wounds are gone, and my strength is returned once again. We stare at each other in confusion.

"What?" he continues to stare at me, "How'd you..?"

He smiles, "Well, I'll just..."

I glare at him, "Well?"

"Where are my powers?!" he shouts.

The Souls appear around him and he looks shocked, "The souls? What are they doing?"

I cover my face as I'm blinded by a rainbow of lights. I can hear Flowey screaming, I can hear the Souls speaking, but I can't make out their words. Flowey continues to scream, "What do you think you're doing?! You're supposed to obey me! Stop it! Stop it!"

Everything fades and I remove my hands from my face. I'm still in this strange darkness, but I'm alone now. I look around and the figure glowing in white I saw before is standing behind me. I turn to her, finally able to see her now. I can see her cheeks are flushed and she's wearing a heart-shaped locket. I can just barely make out the words "Best Friend" on it. Her eyes shine a dull red and she smiles lightly at me, " _So, you stopped him._ "

"Where am I? Is Flowey dead?" I ask.

She gestures behind us and I peer around her. My eyes widen as I see Flowey's small form lying there on the ground. Most of his petals are missing, and what little is left are all ripped. I look back at the soul in white, "Is he dead?"

She shakes her head, " _That's for you to decide. Do you want him to be? You're much stronger than him right now. If you want to kill him, I won't stop you. He did horrible things to you after all._ "

"Undyne tried to outright murder me, and I didn't kill her.." I frown.

She nods, " _That's true. Do you pity Flowey, then? Asgore tried to kill you, too, yet you cried almost the entire time you had to fight him._ "

I look past her again, looking at Flowey, "I do pity him. I don't think he was born this evil. Something must have happened to make him this way. He said he doesn't have a soul.. That must be so horrible, to be unable to feel anything. Maybe he just went crazy. I don't think he deserves to die just because he made some bad mistakes.."

She moves and I walk over to Flowey. I kneel in front of him and he pulls himself up, glaring at me, "What? Here to finish the job?"

"I'm not going to kill you, Flowey." I say.

He continues to glare, "I'm just going to try this again, you know. I'm going to murder everyone down here until I'm bored of it. When you leave I'll probably get my powers back and then I'll go back to killing everyone."

"I'm not going to kill you." I repeat.

He growls, "You idiot! Why would you just let me go?!"

My eyes soften, "I forgive you for everything you did to me, Flowey. And I'm sorry for how I attacked you."

"Don't you dare apologize to me!" he roars, "I tried to murder you and everyone else, and I'll do it again!"

"I forgive you, Flowey." I sigh, "I think it's you who really wants to die. You must be in so much pain."

"Shut up!" he snarls, "Don't you dare pity me! I don't need your pity! I don't need your kindness! Just finish me off and then leave!"

I stand, "I won't kill you, and I'm going to come back when I find a way to free everyone. Goodbye, Flowey."

"You'll never free them this way. Just leave us alone." he replies, disappearing into the ground. I turn back to the soul in white and a white light in the shape of a door is shining behind her. She smiles, "Are you ready to leave the Underground?"

She holds out her hand and I nod, smiling, "Yes."

I take her hand and then a white light blinds me. I close my eyes from the light and when I open the again, I'm standing at the base of the mountain. It's raining and I'm standing in front of a tombstone. I tilt my head and kneel down, trying to read the name inscribed there. My eyes widen as I see who is buried here.

" _Here lies Frisk Tale. Beloved child and friend. We miss you and hope to see you again some day. 1995~2011._ "

I stand and turn to the voice that spoke and I see the soul in white, but she isn't glowing anymore. She's standing here, like a real person. I shiver, and she smiles, holding a hand out to me, " _Are you ready to go back?_ "

I nod and take her hand.

I wake up and I'm lying in a bed of golden flowers. I get up and follow the path into a new room in the underground cave system. Flowey perks up, grinning, "Howdy! I knew you'd be back."


End file.
